


Blue

by Drag0nWr1tes



Series: Too Loud (a Voltron AU series) [5]
Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Blue is a dog, Coping, Depression, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Hurt/Comfort, Implied/Referenced Abuse, Keith is a good boyfriend, Lance needs all the love, Langst, M/M, Protective shiro, References to Depression, Sensory Overload, Service Dogs, Shiro is a good boyfriend, lance loves them, protective keith
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-06-20
Updated: 2018-06-20
Packaged: 2019-05-26 00:49:15
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,071
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14989142
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Drag0nWr1tes/pseuds/Drag0nWr1tes
Summary: Keith and Lance mend what's broken and a new friend joins the boys





	Blue

**Author's Note:**

> I am SO sorry for how long this took. I was uninspired, then inspired, then uninspired, it was a viscous cycle. Plus graduaton happened, now I'm at an internship, I'm doing a big bang (for this series btw) and my friend and I are going to start a podcast at some point.
> 
> Also, I have yet to see season 6 yet so SHUSH!!

Shiro ran his fingers through Lance’s hair in an attempt to sooth him, but there wasn’t much he could do. Not when sound became too much for Lance. Right now, Shiro was just glad he was able to keep his boyfriend on the bed and not under it, his new hiding place instead of the closet.

The Cuban boy’s head was resting in Shiro’s lap, the rest of his body was curled into himself with his hands over his ears. Shiro had tried to hold him close but touching him beyond what he was already doing seemed to be too much.

He looked down at his phone when it lit up. Even the vibration hurt Lance, so Shiro had needed to silence it completely.

It was Keith who had texted him. _Should I call Shay?_ Shiro had told him to be quiet when coming home. Keith still wasn’t able to be around Lance without Shiro there too. Lance would drop his eyes and hunch in when Keith was around, though Shiro knew that Lance was trying to push away his fear but after everything...neither he or Keith could blame him for being afraid.

And Keith just kept kicking himself for what had happened as he tried to find a way to apologize to Lance.

 _No,_ Shiro texted back. _It’s sound again not a panic attack. I don’t know if Shay can help._ Shiro hated this the most. Not being able to do anything to help Lance right now was eating away at him.

His phone lit up again and Shiro looked at the new message. _I have an idea. I’ll be home in an hour._

Shiro put his phone back down and went back to gently messaging at the base of Lance’s skull.  There had to be more that he could do. Seeing Lance like this just broke his heart.

Lance whimpered when the heating kicked on and made a loud noise. He whimpered and curled up into an even tighter ball, his hands gripping his ears even harder and tears falling down his cheeks. Shiro leaned down and pressed his lips to Lance’s forehead. There wasn’t much he could do. Hell, there was basically nothing that he could do right now.

They’d just have to ride it out until Lance felt better.

* * * * *

Lance was a crying mess as he stayed curled up in a tight ball. He was trying to be quiet in his sobbing because the sound made his head hurt worse but it was difficult. Shiro was doing his best to calm him but it wasn't really helping.

On the bed, his phone lit up and drew Shiro’s attention. He picked it up to read the text message that he got. _I just pulled into the driveway. I think I have a way to help Lance._

The sound of the front door opening and closing was faint to Shiro’s ears but for Lance it had him whimpering in pain. Shiro just continued trying to massage the tension away.

Keith quietly entered the room then. His shoulders slumping as he looked at Lance curled up and crying in pain. Keith walked over and put some items on the bed. “Lance, I’m going to have to touch you but I think I can made the pain stop,” Keith said.

Lance whimpered but didn’t say anything so Keith took that as permission to touch him. With Shiro’s help, they propped Lance up and put a pair of ear plugs in next then the giant headphones followed.

It took a few seconds for Lance to really respond to them but eventually they saw his shoulders relax and he slumped against Shiro.

 _Better?_ Keith signed. Lance had taught both him and Shiro ASL when they met. His grandmother had been deaf for years so the entire family learned to make it easier on them. Lance had decided to teach them because he thought it was a useful skill for people to have, especially cops.

Lance sniffled and nodded. _I’m sorry I’m such a burden._

Keith’s eyes widened. His instincts were screaming at him to bring Lance into his arms and make sure he knew that wasn’t true but Lance was still scared of him. Keith saw it in the when Lance would unintentionally flinch away from him. _Don’t think that. Don’t_ _ever_ _think that. We love you, Lance._

Shiro moved his hands out in front of Lance’s face. _Keith’s right, Lance. We want you safe and happy. You are no burden, never have been and never will be._

He sniffled again and ducked his head, his arms curling around his middle as though to hold himself together. Keith was just glad to see that the headphones and earplugs were working.

Shiro shifted to lift Lance into his arms. “Let’s go into the living room, a change of scenery might help.”

They settle on the couch, Lance curled up in Shiro’s lap and Keith being very careful not to touch him. He was still afraid of setting Lance off into a panic attack. Shiro was trying to be the bridge between them and mend what had been broken, but Lance was still terrified.

Keith couldn’t blame him.

They settled on _I am Number Four_ , Lance loved both the movie and the book series. He still wished they would have finished doing the adaptations. At this point they knew it wouldn’t happen.

Shiro flipped the subtitles on and cuddled Lance close to him. He tried coaxing Keith closer but the other boy stayed on the other end of the couch. “Keith, you can’t keep away from him forever,” he said.

“I know,” Keith said. “I just...I can’t hurt him. Not again.”

“You won’t, you got frustrated and snapped. It had terrible consequences but it was bound to happen with one of us.” He looked down at Lance, his fingers never stopped running through the younger man’s hair. “You have to stop beating yourself up about it.”

The other man didn’t say anything.

Lance raised his hands. _You’re talking about me, aren’t you?_

Shiro leaned down and kissed Lance’s forehead. _Sorry._

Lance sat up and looked at Keith. _I’m sorry,_ he signed.

Keith’s eyes widened. His hands flew up in front of him as he rushed to answer. _What? Why the fuck are you sorry?_

 _I keep acting afraid of you and I shouldn’t. I’m sorry._ His shoulders dropped and his arms wrapped around himself.

_Lance, no! You’ve been through so much. You’re hurting and I made it worse. I am so sorry for scaring you and taking my anger out on you. I never should have done that._

Lance’s eyes filled with tears and he moved out of Shiro’s hold. Instinct had Keith wrapping his arms around his boyfriend and pulling him into his lap. The headphones slipped down a little as Lance curled as closely to Keith’s chest and he quickly fixed them.

Shiro watched Keith hold him close as his tears filled his eyes. “See, he I told you he doesn’t hate you.”

Keith just nodded and pressed his nose into Lance’s hair.

* * * * *

Lance stared wide eyed at Shiro. “I-I get to pick a dog?” he asked. He’d always wanted a pet but had never been able to get one before. When he’d been younger, his family couldn’t afford one especially since his parents and grandmother had immigrated from Cuba with barely any money. When he’d gotten together with Shiro and Keith they decided that waiting until Lance was out of school would be the best option for them.

Shiro smiled and nodded. “Yes, you get to pick a dog.” Seeing the excitement on Lance’s face had both Shiro and Keith smiling like loons. It was the same look that he use to get before everything.

“This would be a special dog, too,” Keith said. “The dog will be trained to help you if you have a panic attack if Shiro or I aren’t there.”

“So, it’d be a service animal?” Lance asked.

Shiro nodded. “Yes, Shay told us about it and thinks that it’d be a good idea for you.”

Lance frowned a bit and played with his hands. “Th-that doesn’t sound good.”

“What? Why?” Shiro asked.

Lance shrugged and wouldn’t look up.

Shiro moved forward and gently tilted Lance’s chin up. “Lance, please talk to us.”

His mouth opened and closed a few times as he tried to form the right words. “I...it means I’m broken.”

“Oh Lance,” Shiro pulled him into his arms. “No, baby, that isn’t true. Not at all.”

“You’re not broken, Lance,” Keith said. “Remember when we went with Shiro to the Veterans Association?”

Lance nodded.

“There was that man that had lost both his legs and was so angry. He didn’t want any help from people because he didn’t want to be broken. Do you remember what you said?”

Again, Lance nodded. “Ju-just because you have broken parts, doesn’t make you broken.”

Shiro moved back enough so he could look down at Lance. “You are not broken. Needing help doesn’t make you broken. Ok?”

His lip wobbled a bit but he didn’t cry. “O-ok.”

* * * * *

They brought him to the facility a few days later. Shay met him there, a bright smile on her face. “Hello Lance.”

He gave her a shy smile. “H-hi Shay.”

“My friend runs this facility,” she said. “So I’ll be here to help you while we introduce you to the dogs. Ok?”

Lance nodded. “W-will I get to bring the dog home today?”

She shook her head. “There’s a short period where you’ll need to get to know your dog and they you. Once you’ve found your dog, you’ll come back here and do some basic training with them so you know some basic commands and they learn some of your quirks as well. This way when you go home, you’ll have had the time know how you both work.”

He nodded again. “Ok.”

She smiled. “Come on, let’s go in. We’ve picked out a few dogs that we think you’d like.”

Lance looked at her boyfriends, both of whom smiled and gently nudged him forward. Really, Lance shouldn’t be this nerves. He’d been around dogs before, Hunk had a golden retriever named Sally when they were growing up. Lance had probably loved that dog almost as much as Hunk had.

The dogs they brought Lance to meet were all adorable and very affectionate. Lance had fun meeting all of them, and even Keith and Shiro seemed to get a little into it. Lance had to be the one to choose the dog that was right for him but they also needed to be ok with him or her since they’d all be living together.

Shay and her friend, Jen, had him meet each dog individually in the hopes that he’d make some sort of connection with one. After being there for an hour, he hadn’t met one that he felt a bond with.

“M-maybe I’m overthinking?” he said to Shiro as Jen put a happy-go-lucky German shepherd back in his kennel.

“It’s ok to be a little picky,” Jen said. “You need to pick the right dog for you, not just settle on one. This dog will be your friend but also your support when you need them to be.”

Lance nodded then looked at the other dogs that Jen was going to introduce him to. At the end of the kennels he noticed another dog. This one was a beautiful husky laying on the floor with the saddest look in their eyes.

He didn’t even realize he’d pulled away from Shiro until he was kneeling in front of the dogs cage. “Who’s this?” he asked.

“That’s Blue,” Jen said. “She just came back to us a few months ago.”

“Came back to you?” Keith asked.

“Her previous companion was, unfortunately, murdered by her ex. Her family brought Blue back to us after it happened because they couldn't keep her. She hasn’t been the same since.”

Lance frowned and gently stroked Blue’s head as best he could through the cage. “You’re sad too, girl?”

Blue lifted her head and looked at him, her ears twitched and she cocked her head to the side as she studied Lance. A soft woof left her lips and leaned forward so she could lick his fingers.

A tiny smile came to his lips as he looked at her. “Her, I-I want her.”

**Author's Note:**

> How would y'all feel if one of the boys died...?


End file.
